Another jam-packed weekend is upon us, with indoor and outdoor action going on around the world. We’ll waste no time and start previewing the action – there’s a lot going on!
All eyes will be on the seventh Monster Energy Supercross round, as the series head east and, consequently, a new 250SX class takes to the track. Justin Bogle, Marvin Musquin, Jeremy Martin, Joey Savatgy, RJ Hampshire, Arnaud Tonus, Martin Davalos and more will take to the track (which has new dirt, by the way) and be vying for a spot on the podium. In my opinion, Musquin is going in as the heavy favourite for the title. However, Bogle and Martin will be in the thick of the hunt too. For the first time in quite a while, the east could end up being just as deep (if not deeper) then the west. It’s going to be an exciting series!
In the 450SX class, the title hunt is still wide open. Since Roczen came crashing down (literally) in Oakland, no one has emerged as a firm favourite – that makes for great racing! Canard appears to be the one with the momentum currently, having won two of the last three, but Roczen is also getting back to where he was at the start of the year. Dungey and Tomac are always threats too, so it is near impossible to pick a winner. If the soil is slightly softer than usual and ruts up (which is unlikely for the event, but stranger things have happened), Reed could also get in the mix.
Remember, you can watch practice/qualifying LIVE on Saturday night HERE. It starts at the slightly earlier time of 18:50 (UK time), so be prepared! That link will also enable you to watch the night show live if you are in the UK or Germany.
On this side of the Atlantic the Valence International will take place on a hard-pack hillside in France. Gautier Paulin, Kevin Strijbos, Shaun Simpson, Clement Desalle, Jake Nicholls, Tyla Rattray, Steven Frossard, Glenn Coldenhoff and many more are scheduled to compete, so it should be a great event. Before you start questioning whether Ryan Villopoto will be there, Tyla is the only KRT rider that will be present. The MX2 class is also looking healthy, with Jordi Tixier, Dylan Ferrandis, Ben Watson, Adam Sterry, Aleksandr Tonkov, Julien Lieber and Valentin Guillod all on the entry list.
Whilst a handful of top MXGP riders race in France, the rest (excluding Villopoto) will be in Italy at the final round of the Italian Championship. There is a three-way fight for the title in both the MX1 and Elite classes, although you have to put your money on Antonio Cairoli. The Italian is tied with Tommy Searle in the Elite class, but sits five points down on Max Nagl in MX1. There’s a healthy chunk of prize money on the line here, so expect the riders to be going all out…
The penultimate Arenacross UK round will take place this past weekend too (see, we told you there was a lot going on) in Sheffield. Thomas Ramette still holds the series by eleven points over Florent Richier, although he may receive a frosty reception this weekend following his very controversial move on Elliott Banks-Browne last weekend. The two Frenchman are the only riders with a realistic shot at this title, but the riders behind them (Angelo Pellegrini, Adam Chatfield and Cyrille Coulon) will be looking to steal some more wins.
Image: Suzuki Racing
